U.S. patent number 7,284,953 [Application Number 11/214,238] was granted by the patent office on 2007-10-23 for dirt separator for gas turbine air supply.
This patent grant is currently assigned to United Technologies Corporation. Invention is credited to Barry Beckwith, Lisa O'Neill, Edward F. Pietraszkiewicz, Richard Silverman.
United States Patent |
7,284,953 |
Silverman , et al. |
October 23, 2007 |
Dirt separator for gas turbine air supply
Abstract
A gas turbine engine is provided with a radially outer cooling
air flow. A dirt separator is placed in the path of the radially
outer cooling air flow, and includes a radially outer leg that
defines a space to capture dirt or other impurities. A radially
inner leg of the dirt separator includes open air flow passages to
allow air to flow through the inner leg and downstream to cool
various components within the gas turbine engine.
Inventors: |
Silverman; Richard (Tolland,
CT), Beckwith; Barry (Coventry, CT), O'Neill; Lisa
(Manchester, CT), Pietraszkiewicz; Edward F. (Southington,
CT) |
Assignee: |
United Technologies Corporation
(Hartford, CT)
|
Family
ID: |
37067623 |
Appl.
No.: |
11/214,238 |
Filed: |
August 29, 2005 |
Prior Publication Data
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|
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Document
Identifier |
Publication Date |
|
US 20070048124 A1 |
Mar 1, 2007 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
415/121.2;
60/39.092 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F01D
11/24 (20130101); F01D 9/065 (20130101); Y02T
50/675 (20130101); F05D 2260/607 (20130101); Y02T
50/60 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
F04D
29/70 (20060101) |
Field of
Search: |
;415/121.1,121.2,229,201
;60/39.092 ;55/385.3,437,439,462,463 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Look; Edward K.
Assistant Examiner: White; Dwayne J
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Carlson, Gaskey & Olds
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A gas turbine engine comprising: a housing surrounding a
stationary vane and a rotating rotor, a turbine section including
said stationary vane and said rotating rotor; at least one of said
stationary vane and said rotating rotor being provided with a
radially outer cooling air flow from a location adjacent a radially
outer position in said housing; and a dirt separator positioned in
a flow path of said radially outer cooling air flow, said dirt
separator being operable to remove impurities from said radially
outer cooling air flow, such that air moving downstream of said
dirt separator, and toward said at least one of said stationary
vane and said rotating rotor carries less impurities, said dirt
separator having an upstream end which will separate the cooling
air flow into a radially outer flow having more entrained
particulates, and a radially inner cleaner cooling air flow.
2. A gas turbine engine comprising: a housing surrounding a
stationary vane and a rotating rotor, a turbine section including
said stationary vane and said rotating rotor; at least one of said
stationary vane and said rotating rotor being provided with a
radially outer cooling air flow from a location adjacent a radially
outer position in said housing; a dirt separator positioned in a
flow path of said radially outer cooling air flow, said dirt
separator being operable to remove impurities from said radially
outer cooling air flow, such that air moving downstream of said
dirt separator, and toward said at least one of said stationary
vane and said rotating rotor carries less impurities; and said dirt
separator has a radially outer leg to define a space to capture
impurities, and a radially inner leg that includes open space to
allow air to flow downstream through said inner leg.
3. The gas turbine engine as set forth in claim 2, wherein an
opening is formed in said housing to allow a cleaning tool to
communicate with said space and remove captured impurities.
4. The gas turbine engine as set forth in claim 1, wherein a
radially inner flow of cooling air also passes to said one of said
stationary vane and said rotating rotor.
5. A gas turbine engine comprising: a housing surrounding a
stationary vane and a rotating rotor, a turbine section including
said stationary vane and said rotating rotor; at least one of said
stationary vane and said rotating rotor being provided with a
radially outer cooling air flow from a location adjacent a radially
outer position in said housing; a dirt separator positioned in a
flow path of said radially outer cooling air flow, said dirt
separator being operable to remove impurities from said radially
outer cooling air flow, such that air moving downstream of said
dirt separator, and toward said at least one of said stationary
vane and said rotating rotor carries less impurities; and a blade
outer air seal being positioned adjacent said rotating rotor, and
said radially outer cooling air flow also passing to cool said
blade outer air seal.
6. The gas turbine engine as set forth in claim 1, wherein a
plurality of bolts secure said dirt separator within said gas
turbine engine.
7. A dirt separator for being positioned in a gas turbine engine,
comprising: a dirt separator body including a radially outer leg
and a radially inner leg, with said radially outer leg having less
open space than said radially inner leg, said radially inner leg
having a plurality of open spaces such that said radially outer leg
will capture dirt, and said radially inner leg will allow the flow
of air therethough, said dirt separator body having structure such
that said dirt separator body may be attached within a gas turbine
engine.
8. The dirt separator as set forth in claim 7, wherein said
radially outer leg is generally solid.
9. A gas turbine engine comprising: a housing surrounding a
stationary vane and a rotating rotor, a turbine section including
said stationary vane and said rotating rotor; said stationary vane
being provided with a radially outer cooling air flow from a
location adjacent a radially outer position in said housing; a dirt
separator positioned in a flow path of said radially outer cooling
air flow, said dirt separator being operable to remove impurities
from said radially outer cooling air flow, such that air moving
downstream of said dirt separator, and toward said stationary vane
carries less impurities; said dirt separator has a radially outer
leg that defines a space to capture impurities, and a radially
inner leg that includes open space to allow air to flow downstream
through said inner leg; and a blade outer air seal positioned
adjacent said rotating rotor, and said radially outer cooling air
flow also passing to cool said blade outer air seal.
10. The gas turbine engine as set forth in claim 9, wherein an
opening is formed in said housing to allow a cleaning tool to
communicate with said space and remove captured impurities.
11. The gas turbine engine as set forth in claim 9, wherein a
radially inner flow of cooling air also passes to said stationary
vane.
12. The gas turbine engine as set forth in claim 9, wherein said
radially outer leg is generally solid.
13. The gas turbine engine as set forth in claim 9, wherein a
plurality of bolts secure said dirt separator within said gas
turbine engine.
14. The gas turbine engine as set forth in claim 2, wherein said
radially outer leg is generally solid to define the space.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This application relates to a dirt separator positioned in the path
of a radially outer cooling air supply for gas turbine engine
components, and wherein the dirt separator ensures that heavier
dirt-laden air is not passed downstream to gas turbine
components.
Gas turbine engines incorporate a number of components, which
operate in a very challenging environment. As an example, a turbine
section includes stationary vanes, rotating blades and seals. These
components are subject to high temperatures, thermal stresses,
etc.
Cooling air passes through cooling channels in the vanes, the
blades, and in various seals. The cooling air is supplied from a
radially inner location within the engine, and from radially
outward locations. For several reasons, the air from the radially
outer locations tends to carry more dirt and impurities. In the
past, this dirt could clog small cooling channels in the
components.
The present invention is directed to separating this dirt from the
radially outer air, such that the air delivered to the various
components of a gas turbine engine is cleaner.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In a disclosed embodiment, a dirt separator is secured within a
housing for a gas turbine engine, and in the flow path of a
radially outer cooling air supply. The disclosed dirt separator is
generally vertex shaped, with an outer leg that is generally solid,
and an inner leg that is, for the most part, open. The dirt, which
is heavier, will tend to be at a radially outermost location in the
air flow, and thus will move against the solid outer leg. The
cleaner air will move through the perforations in the inner leg,
and downstream to cool components such as vanes, rotor blades,
blade outer air seals, etc.
In disclosed embodiments of this invention, an opening may be
provided in a housing in an area adjacent to the outer leg of the
dirt separator. This opening provides access for a cleaning tool to
periodically remove separated dirt.
These and other features of the present invention can be best
understood from the following specification and drawings, the
following of which is a brief description.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 shows a portion of a prior art gas turbine engine.
FIG. 2 shows a gas turbine engine incorporating the inventive dirt
separator.
FIG. 3 shows the inventive gas turbine engine being cleaned.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
A portion of a gas turbine engine 20 is illustrated in FIG. 1. As
shown, a vane 22, rotor blades 23, and blade outer air seals 27,
are positioned within the gas turbine engine. Cooling air flow for
the vanes 22, blades 23 and seals 27 includes both a radially inner
source 24 and a radially outer source 26. As known, a portion of
the radially outer air flow source 26 may be directed radially
inwardly such as at 30 to the vane 22, and radially outwardly at
32, downstream toward the seal 27. The inner supply 24 moves
through openings (not shown) in a radially inner surface 28 of the
vane 22, and from flow path 30 through openings (not shown) in a
radially outer surface 29 of the vane 22.
As is known, the air in outer path 26 tends to carry more dirt than
the air in path 24. The air in outer path 26 has been directed from
an upstream diffuser. By this point, centrifugal forces have forced
heavier, dirty air radially outwardly. The dirt in this cooling air
can clog cooling channels in the components.
The present invention is directed in a large part to removing this
dirt from the air in outer path 26.
To this end, an inventive gas turbine engine 120 has the same basic
structure as the gas turbine structure in FIG. 1. However, a dirt
separator 130 is inserted into the flow path 26. An outer leg 134
is generally solid, and defines a space 133 to capture dirt. An
inner leg 135 has a number of perforations 136 to allow the air
flow 26 to move through the radially inner leg 135. An apex 161 of
the dirt separator tends to direct dirt towards outer leg 134 and
air towards inner leg 135. A plurality of bolts 138 and 139 secure
the dirt separator 130 to housing structure 140.
Air flow 24 continues to flow to the radially inner surface 28 of
the vane, and downstream to the rotor blade 23 and seal 27. The
outer air flow 26 has now been cleaned of much of the prior art
impurities. Thus, the air moving to the outer periphery 29 of the
vane 22 at 230 tends to be cleaner, and the air 132 moving further
downstream also tends to be cleaner.
As shown in FIG. 3, an opening 142 in the housing 140 provides an
access opening for a vacuum 150 to remove dirt or other impurities
152 from space 133. The opening 142 is shown plugged in FIG. 2 when
clearing is not occurring.
The present invention thus provides a simple way of removing a good
deal of the dirt that is found in the radially outer air flow,
prior to that air flow reaching the cooling chambers. In the past,
this dirt may have clogged some of the smaller cooling channels.
The present invention thus provides the benefit of reducing or
eliminating such clogging.
Although a preferred embodiment of this invention has been
disclosed, a worker of ordinary skill in this art would recognize
that certain modifications would come within the scope of this
invention. For that reason, the following claims should be studied
to determine the true scope and content of this invention.
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